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WP2 Overview of the application of the Two Directives (ASECAP)

• The Work package 2 examine the differences, established by the two Directives 2008/96/EC (on road infrastructure safety management) and 2004/54/EC (minimum safety requirements for tunnels).

• Provides a clear picture of the practical implications related to the implementation of the two directives across European countries in order to understand the benefits while, on the other hand, the challenges faced.

• Analyse the outcomes of the studies commissioned by the European Commission on the two directives recently published.

• Furthermore road users’ needs and perceptions.

Both directives do not foresee harmonized Road Safety Audits/Inspections (RSA/RSI) to be performed on open roads and in tunnels considering their specificities.

One of the key elements is the management of the transitional portal areas where the road “enters” to a tunnel and “exits” a tunnel, named “Portal Region”.

Key issue in the area is to establish the necessary approach taking into account:

- The technical specificities inside the tunnel,

and

- The need for a single traffic management inside and outside the tunnel.

The main issue is the following:

- From the user’s (drivers) point of view a road is a unique linear infrastructure although it is clear for the driver that such a linear infrastructure is consisted by open terrain (open roads) and occasionally and by closed environment (tunnels). The driver wants to receive the same high safety levels, without being interested to know all the details of the “infrastructure safety chain” that produces such safety.

- From the industry point of view the road is surely not a unique linear infrastructure. The industry knows that producing and managing safety in a closed environment (tunnels) is much more demanding and extreme than in an open road infrastructure.

The policy makers, accepting the point of the industry, have recognized that the infrastructure safety management in open roads and in tunnels should be regulated legally by setting up two different directives, which should deal with these realities following approaches adjusted to the different realities while in specific areas (basically portal areas) a common –coordinated approach could/should be introduced.

ASECAP as WP2 leader carry out specific Additional Analysis of how the two safety Directives (articles / annexes) are practically implemented by the real Road operators and real Tunnels operators of ASECAP. The results of this additional will be presented to the last final workshop of ECOROADS and it will obviously be a solid part of the ECOROADS results.